Autoimmune Conditions
Autoimmune conditions are some of the leading causes of decreased quality of life in the United States. It is estimated that about 7-8% of our population suffers from autoimmune diseases, which by today’s numbers puts the total of those affected around 23-24 million people. Of those, it is estimated that at least 75% of them are women, with the percentage likely to be higher. The alarming fact is that the incidence rate of these conditions are on the rise. So many of these conditions go undiagnosed for years. When left untreated, the likelihood of a person developing a second autoimmune condition increases by 25-50%.
Autoimmune conditions occur when a person’s own immune system begins attacking itself. The immune cells, which are designed to fight off infection and keep the body well, start to target and destroy good, healthy tissue within the body. There are many different causes to these conditions and the resulting symptoms vary widely.
Symptoms of Autoimmunity Include:
- Fatigue
- Joint Pain
- Muscle Pain
- Memory Loss
- Skin Lesions
- Digestive Disorders
- Hair Loss
- Depression
- Weight Gain or Loss
- Brain Fog
- Intolerance to Hot and Cold
- Hot Flashes
- Anxiety
- And Many More
Examples of Autoimmunity Include:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Hashimoto’s Disease
- Celiac Disease
- Graves’ Disease
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Psoriasis
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Ankylosing Spondylitits
- Vitiligo
- Etc.
In most cases, autoimmune conditions operate in a spectrum. This means that while there are many different diagnoses or categories based on symptoms or lab results, many people have a combination of several different “classic” diseases. This typically results in people being over-tested only to be given a diagnosis that merely fits the closest to what that person is experiencing, rather than an exact understanding of the condition or its root cause. In the end, a specialist prescribes medications as part of a treatment protocol for that diagnosis.
While it is valuable to try to accurately diagnose someone, the real key is to identify what originally caused the issue. The traditional medical approach of using medications to either suppress the immune system or just manage the resulting inflammation with steroids is not the ideal solution. While these medications are necessary in times of crisis and can help manage ongoing symptoms, they do not solve the root of the problem. Many of these medications have lasting side effects, and when an individual’s immune response is suppressed over time, it increases the likelihood that they will suffer from other infections or diseases that their immune system might have otherwise been able to handle.
We look at autoimmune disease differently. Our goal is to identify the root cause of the condition. Most autoimmune conditions do not begin at birth; rather, they develop over time. We seek to identify what triggered the process of autoimmunity so that we may treat it at its source. The goal not being to simply manage symptoms with continuous medication, but instead to slow, halt, and hopefully reverse the damage that the autoimmune condition has created.
Main Underlying Triggers of Autoimmunity
- Infections – Bacterial, Viral, Fungal, Parasitic
- Chemicals – Toxicity build up from environmental exposure combined with inability of the body to properly detox on its own.
- Foods – Sensitivities and intolerances of certain types of food creating systemic inflammation.
There are many specific causes and triggers that fall within these main categories. Often, the autoimmunity is due to a combination of them. Even everyday stressors can create flare ups in a chronic autoimmune condition. Some of those stressors include hormonal imbalances, toxin exposure, allergies, infections, and emotional stress.
At New Life Healthcare, our mission is to identify what triggered your unique autoimmune condition and treat it at the source. We know that what works for one person does not necessarily work for another as there are so many different forms of autoimmunity with so many different causes. Once we identify what the underlying cause is, we can then create a plan unique to your needs to educate you on how to take back control of your health for the future. It is essential to start this process as soon as possible as the risk of developing multiple autoimmune conditions increases significantly after the first one appears. We look forward to helping you understand your autoimmune condition and how you can finally stop the disease in its tracks!